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My mom loved Humphrey Bogart. It is my fondest memory of her. Her adoration of Bogart was so charming, so funny and outsized that I couldn’t help but adore him, too. She had a book of all his movies, and I read it over and over, pretty much wanting to watch every single one of them.

At one point, when I was in middle school, WSM-TV in Nashville showed a Humphrey Bogart movie every Saturday night at 10:30, and she and I would watch together.

We watched so many Bogart movies: Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The African Queen. Casablanca. Key Largo. The Maltese Falcon. The Petrified Forest. Dark Passage. We even watched his gangster movies, which weren’t our favorite—Dead End, The Roaring Twenties. 

But somehow, we never saw Sabrina, the 1954 movie with Bogart, William Holden and the exquisite Audrey Hepburn.

My brother Aubrey was in town last week, and we were looking through the Box of Mom Things. It got us to remembering Mom and her love affair with Humphrey Bogart. As I flipped through her book of Bogart movies, I caught sight of Audrey Hepburn, that exotic creature, and I knew what I wanted to watch on Sunday.

What’s your favorite Humphrey Bogart movie? Mom swore by To Have and Have Not. She bore a certain resemblance to Lauren Bacall, so I think that was a core component of her Bogart love. I voted Casablanca—so much so that, junior year in high school, we made Casablanca the theme for the prom. It turned out kind of weird. But I’ll never forget Janet Levine, our class president—as gorgeous and charming as Bacall or Hepburn—who talked Jones Pet Shop into letting us borrow their cockatoo for the night. I can’t remember why we thought a live cockatoo would make our prom any more Moroccan, but we were committed to the idea.

The cockatoo did fine, surprisingly.

27 Comments

  • I love the Warner Brothers gangster films—not just Bogart’s, but all of the ones James Cagney made, too. They were “RIPPED from the headlines!”

    Back when I was in junior high school, one of the local channels played a vintage film at 10:30 every weekday. My dad called me in sick so I could play hooky the first time I saw “Casablanca.” I’m going to my parents’ later today for Sunday Dinner, so maybe we’ll watch it again this afternoon.

    • Me, too! “Rocky Dies Yellow!”

  • We just watched Sabrina last night! Bogart and Hepburn had a special kind of charm.

  • No contest African Queen. Whoever thought of putting Bogart and Hepburn together was a genius.

  • Dead heat between African Queen and Casablanca.

    • Ditto

  • African Queen. Never liked a Hepburn film till then. Never tire of seeing this film. Even know the dialogue off by heart. Many years ago whilst I was in primary school the BBC showed a season of Bogart films been in love with the man ever since.

  • I haven’t seen all of them, but certain scenes from The African Queen, Key Largo, and Casablanca all left some strong impressions. Casablanca is the only one where I actually recall the plot. I have some catching up to do!
    In an irreverent vein, this still makes me laugh – did you ever see the police interrogation skit with Bogart and Jack Benny? “So round, so firm, so fully packed!” (spoof on Lucky Strikes advertisements)

    • I LOVED that skit! Bogart never had a problem making fun of his tough guy persona. He was a class act.

  • Our town’s station played a movie from the 30’s, 40’s or 50’s every afternoon at 4:00 pm. I had just enough time to get home from school, grab a snack and drink, and plop down in front of the TV for my daily dose of drama. it was a marvelous education and fueled a life-long love of the classics. Oh, btw – you must favor your mother, Ann, because I can totally see the Lauren Bacall in you!

  • You need to watch Sabrina! A good, fun movie and Audrey Hepburn is lovely and Bogart is to die for. Much better than the remake.

  • Funny you should mention it, but Sabrina has always been my favorite. Casablanca is a very close second.

  • A certain resemblance? Puh-leeze. She could have been her sweeter, more innocent, prettier sister.

  • Oh my goodness! We are having our gala for work at the Rockefeller Playhouse this year. It’s the last of the family owned properties on the estate–the rest are in historic trust including the family mansion Kykuit.

    I was up there for lunch a few weeks ago and learned that, get this, Sabrina is based on real people who worked for the Rockefeller’s at Kykuit. And the woman that it is based on is still alive!!! And she gives tours!!!

    How cool is that?!

    • I love that (and the movie too).

  • I vote with your mom, Ann. The chemistry between Bogart and Bacall in To Have and Have Not is awesome. I also love The Maltese Falcon; classic film noir. He and Mary Astor were quite the pair.

  • Oh, I adore Sabrina!! My husband’s smile reminds me of Humphrey Bogart’s–maybe the reason I fell in love?

  • My favorite one is We’re No Angels. It stars Bogart, Aldo Ray & Peter Ustinov and a little green snake. It is my favorite Christmas movie..

    • One of my favorites, too. I haven’t thought about it (or seen it) in years.

  • Bogey reminded me of my dad, the cigarettes and growly voice. His son went to my college and lookd a lot like him. I liked African Queen.

  • Love the cockatoo! I like Casablanca best, but I’m more familiar with it than his other films. What did you think of Sabrina?

  • I don’t think I can pick a favorite as I love them all, but for a very different Bogart and excellent film you must see The Caine Mutiny. Something like 7 Oscar nominations including Best Actor. Alas, it was up against On The Waterfront and Marlon Brando.

  • Ah, Sabrina with Bogart and Audrey Hepburn! One of my favorite movies, only in part because it gave my mom inspiration for my name years later. I’m sure I’d have loved even if she hadn’t named me Sabrina. I also love The Maltese Falcon and African Queen.

  • I’d have to go with your mom on this one. To Have and Have Not is my favorite of his as well.

  • Sabrina is my favorite but also all the Bogie and Bacall movies. That chemistry!

  • “Sabrina” is a gem of a movie, but not really because of Bogart. I like him best in “To Have or Have Not” and even better, as a gangster doomed because of his soft heart in “High Sierra”.

  • Key Largo! I love everything about that movie.

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